'Climb for Cancer' nearly a complete success

Clif Simonson and his daughter, Olivia Simonson, reached the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on July 17.

Contributed photo

A Ventura teenager and her father are near their goal of raising $100,000 by climbing to the top of Africa's highest mountain, they said.

Olivia Simonson, 15, and Clif Simonson, 52, reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on July 17 in an expedition to raise money for the Andrea Grace Soter-Simonson Memorial Foundation, which helps those with cancer.

"You're so proud of yourself and so happy that you did it," Olivia Simonson said about climbing to the top.

Since reaching the summit, they have collected more than $98,000 in pledges and donations and hope that through further contributions, they will surpass their target.

Climb for the Cause, as it was called, was in memory of Andrea Grace Soter-Simonson — Olivia's mother and Clif's first wife. She died of ovarian cancer in June 2008 at age 47.

"This is really important to me," said Olivia Simonson, the driving force in establishing the nonprofit organization.

Through the foundation, the Simonsons aim to give fairly modest financial help to people during a time of crisis and to raise awareness of their needs, Clif Simonson said. The foundation has given out more than $44,500 in 34 grants of up to $1,500.

"It's a way for people to give directly," Simonson said. "Everybody can relate to being tight financially and struggling and getting a helping hand bridging you to the next month."

Clif Simonson climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2006, and he and Olivia came up with the idea of climbing together to illustrate their feeling that families affected by cancer "climb their own Kilimanjaro" every day as they deal with physical, emotional and financial burdens.

The Simonsons were accompanied on the trip by their physician, Dr. Dean Smith of Newbury Park, and his son, Paul Smith. They were part of an expedition of 18 climbers and a support team of 83 guides, porters and cooks.

The climb to the top of the mountain, which is 19,341 feet above sea level, left the climbers vulnerable to cold and altitude sickness that caused nausea and headaches. Dean Smith suffered such bad altitude sickness, he didn't make it to the summit.

"Every day after hiking, we'd be covered in dirt," Olivia Simonson said. "At night, there was frost on our tent."

"Once we got to the higher altitude, you were so sick. You get so tired. Everything is like an effort," she added. "You're always out of breath, and you walk so slow all the time. We couldn't breathe, and it was so hard."

Despite the physical challenges, Clif Simonson said his second time climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was extremely rewarding.

"Last time, it was just a kind of selfish journey, but to do it for a purpose was way more satisfying," he said.

Olivia Simonson, a sophomore at The Thacher School in Ojai, said the climb has given her a greater appreciation of what humans can do.

"People climb Mount Kilimanjaro all the time. I figure if I can do it, then other people can do it. And that relates to the whole situation: that if someone can fight against cancer, then other people can fight against cancer and we can all fight against cancer," she said.

"I think I have a lot more confidence in what people can do and what people are willing to do and how supportive people are, both on the mountain and down here," she said.